1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to irrigation systems and more particularly to sprinklers for lawn and gardens.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art teaches many types of irrigation systems. Some prior art irrigation systems are designed for commercial applications, such as the irrigation systems taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,510 of McCulloch, U.S. Pat. No. 2,860,007 of Cornelius, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,927 of Blair. Other prior art irrigation systems are designed for home garden use, such as the sprinkler described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,531 of Kennedy, Jr.
In the Kennedy, Jr. patent, a sprinkler is described including a base having a water inlet and an water outlet, an elongated, flexible, vertically oriented tube having a lower end engaged with the outlet of the base, and a nozzle assembly attached to an upper end of the flexible tube. The nozzle assembly is designed to eject uncompensated jets of water which causes the flexible tube to oscillate back and forth as the nozzle rotates.
Problems with sprinkling devices of the prior art include uneven water coverage and lack of adjustability of the sprinkling pattern. This can result in under-watered areas, over-watered areas, and a waste of water resources.
The prior art does not disclose a sprinkler which can effectively water beyond obstacles such as shrubs and hanging branches. In consequence, prior art sprinklers must be placed within their target sprinkling area, which is not always desirable or possible.
Another drawback of prior art sprinklers is that they are not well adapted to watering long, narrow areas. Furthermore, other prior art sprinklers attempt to fully saturate a given area by dispensing water as a fine mist. However, such sprinklers are inefficient under windy conditions, since small droplets are subject to drifting during even slight air movements.